If we were sitting down together at a cafe, I’d be drinking a coconut latte, there’d be some nice jazz music playing in the background. You’ll be sipping on whatever it is you like to drink and we’ll just chat.

We’re not at a cafe right now, let’s face it. But we can still learn about each other. So, shall we?

Okay, I’ll go first.

I was born in London in the 1980’s to a Filipino mother and a Barbadian father. When I was two, I moved to Barbados with my family. I enjoyed island life and school. Long hot days blended into warm Caribbean nights.

I grew up listening to my mother’s collection of cassette tapes by the Carpenters and my father’s mix of old-skool vinyl collection of Motown, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov.  As a kid, I’d never heard of jazz. Not until I moved back to London as a teenager.

When I was 14, I got my own mini stereo system. It had an analog dial where I could tune in to the radio. And that’s when I discovered Jazz FM (which has now become Smooth FM).

But this was a time when you could turn on the radio and hear the sweet voice of Ella Fitzgerald scatting over the dull hum of daily life. When Coltrane’s sax would send out sounds of satisfaction in the late summer evenings. When the notes of Bill Evan’s piano signalled for you to stop and pay attention.

I fell in love with jazz when I was 14.

When I turned 16, I attended a 6th form college in Twickenham where I met Jo Caleb, Femi Temowo, Michael Olatuja and Jonathan Idiagbonya. They would rehearse jazz tunes in the music department and I would stay and listen to them play for hours.

My music education began in earnest, however, when I began running the Jazz Talent Jam – a monthly jam session for advanced jazz players. We had a packed house each month with between 150-180 people and the house band was always top notch. People like Guy Barker, Gary Husband, Robert Mitchell, Mike Mondesir, Jim Mullen and so many more amazing British jazz musicians joined the house band each month to create an evening London had never seen before. That’s when I began singing.

Now, music has taken me across Europe and the UK singing at festivals and clubs. And I love it!

Now, it’s your turn! I’d like to know you! Why not join my mailing list so you can be kept in the loop of my upcoming shows? Then, come down and let’s meet in person.

[mc4wp_form id=”5908″]